Labour and the Trade unions to split

Go to page

LE

I hope this is the death knell for Labour and the trade unions, it's like two abusive parents divorcing, support for the unions dropping, funding of the Labour Party dropping......Len macluskie out of a job.

LE

Wishful thinking I fear, Sebbers. I suspect the outcome will be McC tightening his grip, aided by the current batch of Lab MPs. Labour's stooge army of lumpenproleteriat morons will still vote for it whatever happens.

Kipling (mildly adapted):

The Saxon is not like those Euros. His manners are not so polite.
But he never means anything serious till he talks about justice and right.
When he stands like an ox in the furrow--with his sullen set eyes on your own,
And grumbles, 'This isn't fair dealing,' my son, leave the Saxon alone.

LE

Except that Red Len has declared he is quite happy with Milliband's hastily thrown together measure.

Union Members will be able to opt out of the 3 quid levy, which would then be kept by the Unions who could spend it as they wish. So if they want to fund Conservative or LibDem policies and campaigns they can. Obviously they won't - but the donation will be under tighter control of the Union leadership. Hence, Len is laughing himself silly at the stupidity of the puppet he helped create!

‘We have our own dream and our own task. We are with Europe, but not of it. We are linked, but not comprised. We are interested and associated, but not absorbed.’ Winston Churchill

MIA

I hope this is the death knell for Labour and the trade unions, it's like two abusive parents divorcing, support for the unions dropping, funding of the Labour Party dropping......Len macluskie out of a job.

Sorry to disappoint you but this is just Miliband showing he's 'tough' to his party and 'not a leftie' to the nation, by picking a pointless fight that will in the end change nothing. See also Blair and Clause Four.

LE

Except that Red Len has declared he is quite happy with Milliband's hastily thrown together measure.

Union Members will be able to opt out of the 3 quid levy, which would then be kept by the Unions who could spend it as they wish. So if they want to fund Conservative or LibDem policies and campaigns they can. Obviously they won't - but the donation will be under tighter control of the Union leadership. Hence, Len is laughing himself silly at the stupidity of the puppet he helped create!

MIA

Because then it might go to a party other than Labour. See also Blair's money-laundering operation called the 'Union Modernisation Fund.'

But to be fair, the Conservatives make no bones about selling policies, contracts and legislation to the highest donor; at least the Labour stuff is done openly rather than under the counter. Look up the Adrian Beecroft/Beecroft Report/half-million-quid donation for perhaps the most egregious example of this - the legislation's on the back burner at the moment but it will return.

LE

Except that Red Len has declared he is quite happy with Milliband's hastily thrown together measure.

Union Members will be able to opt out of the 3 quid levy, which would then be kept by the Unions who could spend it as they wish. So if they want to fund Conservative or LibDem policies and campaigns they can. Obviously they won't - but the donation will be under tighter control of the Union leadership. Hence, Len is laughing himself silly at the stupidity of the puppet he helped create!

ADC

It's about time the Labour Party returned to its roots and regained some credibility as a party that has strong beliefs and sticks to them. It's also about time that the Tories did the same. Both parties have been drifting closer and closer to the centre, so much so that Blair's Government was almost indistinguishable from a Tory one in policy terms.

LE

It's about time the Labour Party returned to its roots and regained some credibility as a party that has strong beliefs and sticks to them. It's also about time that the Tories did the same. Both parties have been drifting closer and closer to the centre, so much so that Blair's Government was almost indistinguishable from a Tory one in policy terms.

LE

When I was in the MOD we could opt out paying the labour part of our union subs. I think it was about 20p per week.
I'm sure we had people paying the full whack and still supporting the conservatives though !!

ADC

Yet both parties had won elections prior to them almost converging in the late 90s. If you are going to represent a section of society then you will get the vote from those whom you most represent bolstered by those who believe they have been let down by the opposition. At the moment we have no radical thinking as every decision is governed by how popular it may or may not be.

As Lincoln said and Blair found out to his cost, "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time." If you don't have any deeply held core beliefs then you cannot react or act in a way that would be expected of someone who does. Some of us don't want a Government who will change tack to court popularity we want a Government whom we can trust to do the 'right' thing and the 'thing' we elected them to do.

LE

Yet both parties had won elections prior to them almost converging in the late 90s. If you are going to represent a section of society then you will get the vote from those whom you most represent bolstered by those who believe they have been let down by the opposition. At the moment we have no radical thinking as every decision is governed by how popular it may or may not be.

As Lincoln said and Blair found out to his cost, "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time." If you don't have any deeply held core beliefs then you cannot react or act in a way that would be expected of someone who does. Some of us don't want a Government who will change tack to court popularity we want a Government whom we can trust to do the 'right' thing and the 'thing' we elected them to do.

If the state funds political parties then any group I establish with a constitution and a manifesto that I call a political party is a political party and in the interest of a level party political playing field must attract similar funding to any other.

"The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power. Now you begin to understand me"